Page 17 of Dragon Compelled
“There is no demotion where the Athenaeum is concerned,” she replies. “Only expulsion. Should you be deemed incapable, your memory will be wiped, and you will be sent from this place with no remaining knowledge of it or its employees.”
The breath is ripped from my lungs as I try to draw it in and calm myself. Fear replaces my anger, and I reach out to steady myself against the wall. They will erase my memories? Make me live life without the knowledge of this world? My thoughts drift to Aries. Will they make me forget him? What will happen to him if I’m removed?
“Easy, Tawn, you’re scaring her.” Oliver stands and crosses over toward me. He reaches out and rests a hand on my shoulder then levels both green eyes on mine. “I will help you, Paige. I will make sure you are ready for this position so that there will not be any decision that needs to be made, except the one where we get to go back to our normal lives.”
“Really?” I ask, too hopeful at the prospect of help to turn him down. “You’d do that? I mean, is that allowed?”
Tawny makes a disapproving sound but says simply, “She certainly needs the help.”
“It’s allowed. Do you accept my help?” he asks, pulling back and holding out a hand for me to shake.
I stare down at it, nerves, anger, and fear swirling around inside of me like an emotional hurricane. I may not know much about them, but I do know that I need help. And they bear the mark of a keeper, which might not make me trust them completely, but it does make him qualified, at least. I take his hand and shake. “I accept your help.”
Oliver smiles. “Then let’s get to work.”
Chapter5
Aries
Blossom is waiting for us in the basement when Mag and I arrive through the portal. She looks up from where she’s scratching Bingo’s ears—something I’ve never seen him allow anyone else to do—and arches a brow at my naked human form before flicking her gaze to Mag whose pants are leaving puddles of water in their wake. His scowl lightens at the sight of her, but she ignores his interest.
“Rough day?” she asks.
“Don’t want to talk about it,” he mutters.
When he starts for the door, she steps in front, blocking our exit. “You,” she tells Mag, “Should head to your scheduled area and pretend you’ve been here patrolling all afternoon. But you,” she says to me, “need to make yourself scarce for a while.”
“What’s wrong?” I ask, immediately on alert.
“The council decided to show up today and poke their snooty noses into things.”
“The council?” I demand, my dragon surging beneath my skin at the thought of a potential threat anywhere near Paige.
“Whoa,” Blossom says, putting up her hand as I surge forward. “They’re the high council appointed by the library, and they don’t know how or why you’re here, remember? They aren’t going to hurt Paige,” she adds, noting my expression. “They’re the ones she’s been looking for, remember?”
My unease dissipates slightly, but tendrils of worry continue snaking through me. Their presence here is a threat; I don’t care what Blossom says.
Mag turns his gaze to me, all frustration he felt at my blocking the sirens gone. “I’ll make sure she’s safe.”
I force myself to exhale and step back. Physically shoving past the two keepers isn’t going to lead anywhere good, anyway. I could best them both separately—but together? That’s a fight I don’t want to get involved in.
“And I’ll get you some clothes,” Blossom says.
“Don’t bother,” I tell her. “I’ll go to the apartment and wait for her there.”
“You can’t let them see you,” Blossom warns. “Especially all of you.” She gestures to my nakedness.
“I won’t.”
I don’t bother to tell her I spent days sneaking all over this library without a single one of them ever noticing me. That I can make my way back up to Paige’s apartment without so much as a spider seeing me.
Which is exactly what I do the moment they’re both gone. Using the tunnels that Constantine formed as well as sneaking into the rafters a time or two, I manage to make my way upstairs, completely unseen. I dress quickly before heading back down, once again sticking to the rafters so I can keep watch from a safe distance.
While I won’t interrupt unless there’s an issue, I’m also not going to sit idly by in the apartment, wondering what’s going on. Not when it comes to my mate.
After getting as close as I can to Paige’s office, I use my shifter senses to hear what’s being said.
The voices coming from inside are soft, but I can make out Paige, another female, and a male.
